My Kingdom Building Done Right!-Chapter 68: As Long As My Banner Stands, You Will Never Stand Alone! [Part 2]
After the vassalship ceremony, Leone decided to take Jason, and the ten warriors that once belonged to the Black Wolf Tribe with him up to the cliff in the mountain.
Since they had now become his people, they had earned the right to be by his side.
The warriors felt giddy of their newfound strength, and looked at Leone, and Jason with profound respect in their hearts.
Their gazes were so intense that for a brief moment Leone thought that his chastity was in danger!
Doing his best to remain calm, the young man took them to the underground cavern where the members of the Alborin Tribe built their homes.
He then headed towards a tunnel that Maximus had dug out as a side project, which led to another spacious cavern.
The sound of a pickaxe hitting stone echoed in the chamber because Maximus was busy digging a tunnel according to Leone’s wishes.
The young man then bought ten Stonebreaker Pickaxes and handed it to everyone, except Jason.
"All of you are going to dig, and make this cavern spacious enough to accommodate our people," Leone ordered. "I will build everyone’s houses later since all of you will be moving here with me starting today."
""Yes, Sir!"" The warriors didn’t even complain that they were being used for manual labor instead of hunting.
They then went to where Maximus was digging, and called the White Kobold, Sir Max, asking it where they should start digging.
Seeing that it suddenly gained subordinates, Max looked incredibly happy and pointed at the locations that needed digging.
The warriors went to work at once, chipping off the rocks as if they were made of tofu.
Daedalus hovered above their heads, and sucked up the rocks which it could use as materials in building stone structures.
"My Lord, aside from making this cavern spacious so that we can use it as a residential area, do you plan to continue digging a tunnel that leads to the other side of the mountain?
"That’s the plan." Leone nodded. "Back then, this was not possible because I didn’t have enough manpower for this project. But now that all of you have become my people, we can start working on this project in earnest."
The Grimjaw Mountain wasn’t actually a simple mountain. It was a mountain range that sealed off the eastern side of the borderlands towards the unknown.
Leone once tried to try flying to see what was out there. But there was an area with powerful gusts of winds that blew permanently over the mountain range, making flying difficult even for Arion.
As such, he thought that building a tunnel would be a far better solution to cross to the other side of the mountain range.
Also, this allowed them to have an escape route in the worst case scenario like their first line of defense being compromised due to an enemy invasion.
"Jason, I want you to supervise this project," Leone said. "Can I count on you?"
"Of course, My Lord." Jason bowed respectfully.
After becoming Leone’s vassal, the young man had transformed into a fine looking young man.
His brown hair that reached up to his shoulders looked silkier, and his body had become lean and toned. His amber eyes were full of life, and a faint smile hung on his lips.
He was already handsome to begin with, so the moment his body underwent a transformation, he truly became a dashing young man, who had been freed from the burdens he was carrying since his birth.
Leone even admitted that he was only two-ranks higher than Jason when it came to good looks!
"For some reason, I feel lighter," Leone said. "It’s like a big problem has disappeared all of a sudden."
"I feel the same way, My Lord," Jason replied. "I’ve never felt this good before."
Even without the poison, Jason’s body was quite delicate because he had inherited it from his mother.
He often got sick when he was younger, so he only received minimal warrior training when he was young.
But now that his body seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, he was brimming with strength.
In fact, he even thought that he now had the chance of courting the young lady, whom he fell in love with at first sight during the tribal meeting held by the high-ranking tribes in the Borderlands.
Back then, it was impossible for them to be together because he didn’t have the qualifications to court her.
But now, he believed that he could contend for the right to marry her.
With the help of Leone’s subjects, they were able to quickly clear and prepare enough space to build homes for the Aslan Tribe.
He then started the construction of a large communal area, placing a massive firepit at the center of the cavern for everyone to gather around.
To his surprise, the excavation also yielded several chunks of iron ore, adding an unexpected boon to their efforts.
"This mountain might have many more surprises waiting for us to discover," Leone said with a smile. "If we keep digging, we might even discover rare ores like mithril! Isn’t that right, Max?!"
"Gau!" the White Kobold replied to its Master, raising its hand with determination.
"Seriously, you guys are too optimistic," Daedalus replied in amusement. "Still, the possibility exists so maybe we can really get something good if we keep digging?"
Leone smirked as he continued to build more wooden houses for the Aslanians.
He didn’t skimp out on the details, and made sure to add everything that would make their lives comfortable.
Fluffy beds, pillows, as well as basic tools that they could use for everyday living.
A few hours later, the Aslanians who remained in the barracks were invited up the mountain to live with Leone.
The remaining members of the Black Wolf Tribe looked at their former tribe members with complicated gazes.
Some of them were even regretting their decision for hesitating at the last moment.
For them, being allowed to climb up the mountain was a great privilege and honor.
Only the members of the Alborin Tribe were allowed to do such a thing. But now, Jason and the Aslanians gained the right to be there as well.
Kael also sighed in his heart because his people still lived in the barracks. Although they were fine with continuing the status quo, he couldn’t help but think of the "What If" scenario.
"Maybe I’ve grown a little too old," Kael muttered. "Jason really beat me to it."
In the end, he decided to look for the prettiest girls in his tribe, and ask Leone if he needed maids to take care of him.
Clearly, Kael wasn’t someone who gave up easily!
While this was happening, Ulric, and Yuni were having a serious talk with each other.
Now that the Aslanians held a stronger position in Leone’s heart, Ulric was afraid that sooner or later, the Alborin Tribe would lose the special privileges that they enjoyed after becoming Leone’s strongest, and most steadfast supporters.
Although he believed that Leone would still treat them as important allies, the human heart had a tendency to change.
If Jason and his men worked as the young man’s hands and feet then he would no longer need the Alborin Tribe to handle important missions that he once assigned to them.
At least, that was what Ulric thought, which made him very anxious.
